Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-04-02

otIs SlapP. hn
Thaver, and Otis Rich. or these orig
inal corporators only two are now liv-
ing, Frank W. Bird of Walpoie and Eli
Thayer OF Worcester.
When Mr.. Thayer advocated charter
ing the Emigrant Aid company there
was not man in either branch OF the
legislature who took any stock in the
project. The late Judge Colt was
cha rman of the judiciary committee,
and of the colonization scheme he said:
I'VE all regard il as utterly futile and
impracticable. Eere you are fifteen
hundred miles from Kansas. The Mis-
sonri Shareholders are just over the
line, and can undo in day all you can
do in a year. You propose to take
immigrants over millions OF acres OF
better lands than there is in Kansas.
where they can have peace aud plenty.
and YOU propose to put them in Kansas
at the risk of losing life and property.
and with the necessity of contending
for both against the bowie-knife and
revolver of border rufians."
Thayer replied: Give me this char
ter and you will never see another
slave state organized in this union. "
And he was right
The cap tai stock Of the company
was originally fixed at 100000. and
a. soon as sl,000,000 was subscr bed it
was proposed TO collect an assess
ment Of 4 per cent. for the operations
of 1854. Subsequently the provis ons
OF the charter proved unsatisfactory 10
some of the parties interested. and on
June Is the company organized under
| private articles Of assoc alton and EN-
trusted the arrangement of affairs to
| the trustees-Amos Lawrence, Eli
Thayer and J. NJ. 5 Williams of Cam
bridge. Eli Thayer was the real mo-
tive of the movement, however. Upon
him Gevolved the duty Of exciting and
directing public sentiment in favor Of
the plan. and Of collecting subscriptions
and organ .zing. auxiliary emigrant
aid companies in the other New Eng
land states and 10 New York. In the
prosecution of this work Mr.. Thayer
travelled over $1,000 miles, speaking in
every available place. He addressed
the farmers of New Hampshire and
Vermont, the lumbermen of northern
maine. the merchants of New York.
and the mechanics and and business
men Of the manufacturing centers of
New England.
OF his campaigning Mr.. Thayer tells
numerous anecdotes, one of which is
that when he was addressing an audi
ence upon the colonization OF Kansas,
in the vestry of Henry Ward Beecher's
church-having been invited by the
great preacher to do so.-before the
meeting was opened the Plymouth pas
tor said: Now. Thayer, when allud.
ing to border ruflians don't be afraid 10
talk as you feel. Ii you want to say
damn say damn"
At another time the company found
themselves in need of funds, and 1.-THE
king of popular sovereignty" "a title
given by Stephen A. Douglas to Mr.
Thayer) had a meeting of some twenty
of New York's public-sp rited citizens
at the house OF George W. Blunt Oh
Sixteenth street. William NJ. Evart;
WAS there. and after Mr.. Thayer haC
explained the necessity for raising the
money and the object to which it wa:
to be appl ed. Mr.. Evarts sad d: 81
have Just listened to the first practica
elucdation of the slavery quest on tina
have ever heard. / have waited fo
an opportunity to act effectively agains
slavery and in accordance with tn,
laws, the constitution, and the union
That opportunity l now have, and
bunker Wig though l am called. anC
poor man though am.-for am no
worth 1900 in the world.-I give tn
Emigrant Aid company my check TO
$1,000" Senator Evarts has recent,
. told cit zen of Worcester that tina
was he best investment he ever made.
The founder of the Dread institute
who is now living so quietly and unob
trusively among his fellow-ci citizens, an,
was the originator and father of tn,
voluntary organ zed emigration. which
The London Times said was .the great
t est American movement of the age y
He sent the saw-mill and the grist-m
? to fight slavery at its own doors. an,
! won the battle. In two years he hat
two free state men to one slave-stat
! man in Kansas. and the institution o
. slavery was forever doomed in that ter
ritory before the slaveocracy of Mis-
: souri, had fully realized the magnitud
Q and power of the movement inaugural
ed, and directed by an unpretentiou
4 citizen of Worcester. The slave powe
, was invited to a fair and open contes
i with free labor, and they retired SUI
e lenly from the struggle. contentin
o themselves with offering reward,
e which were posted along the highway
r and advertised in the newspapers, fo
:. the head of Eli Thayer, whose organ
lied emigration scheme throttled slav,
= ry in the very zenith Of its power.
N From Kansas the great az tator ,
g popular sovereignty turned his after